5/20/14 – On June 3rd, 2014, Riverside County voters will elect their Sheriff. Two candidates are on the ballot : incumbent Sheriff Stan Sniff and Sheriff Deputy Lt. Chad Bianco.

In many such elections the candidates are interchangeable and very much alike. Not so in this one : there is a world of difference between Sniff and Bianco.

ANTI GUN MENTALITY VS. 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS

Sheriff Stan Sniff is a politician in uniform. He is of the opinion that the right of the people to bear arms is a privilege (which can be denied), rather than a fundamental constitutional right.

Sniff’s attitude is reflected in the number of CCW’s (concealed weapon permits) issued in Riverside County : of the estimated 650,000 gun owners, only 771 have a CCW issued by the Sheriff’s Department. With this policy, Sheriff Sniff appears to be right in line with the current mainstream gun grabbing agenda, courtesy of the likes of Senator Diane Feinstein & Co.

Challenger Chad Bianco believes that Sniff’s policy is fundamentally wrong. Bianco has stated that every law abiding citizen – as long as he or she has no criminal record – should be entitled to carry a concealed weapon. Bianco recognizes the right to bear arms as a constitutional, God given right, rather than a privilege handed down by the government to its subordinates.

SHERIFF SNIFF’S DIRTY BACKDOOR DEAL

In Banning’s 100 year history, no public official has ever raked the taxpayer over the barrel more than former Banning Police Chief Leonard Purvis. Last year, Purvis walked away from Banning with an obscene $ 300,000 in taxpayer cash – without ever filing a lawsuit.

Prior to being Banning’s Chief of Police, Purvis was a Riverside Sheriff Deputy ; it was during this time that Purvis and Sniff formed a very close relationship. When Purvis was Chief, Sheriff Stan Sniff is said to have frequently visited him at the Banning Police Department.

Readers of this website will remember the turmoil Purvis created, when he accused Council member Don Peterson of having caused him undue “severe anxiety and stress”. To compensate him for his “suffering”, Purvis made a demand for $ 250,000. – Purvis’ real problem : Peterson – a former Police Sergeant himself – had the audacity to ask Purvis a number of questions (listed here) , none of which Purvis felt like answering.

Only 5 months after Purvis declared himself mentally impaired, and only a few weeks after he left Banning, his good buddy Stan Sniff arranged for Purvis to get re-hired by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Sniff has failed to answer any questions about the hiring of a – by his own account – mentally unstable Purvis.

How could Purvis pass the required psychological evaluation ? Did Sheriff Sniff override the standard POST requirements, because he could ?

BACKGROUND CHECK AFTER THE FACT ?

Sheriff Purvis was sworn in on December 11, 2013. There is every indication that Sniff engaged in backdoor dealings when he hired Purvis : according to reliable sources, former City Manager Takata was scheduled to meet a Sheriff’s Corporal on December 12 at 2 PM, for the purpose of collecting background information on Purvis from the City of Banning . But since Purvis ended up being sworn in the day before, this meeting is said to never have taken place.

It therefore appears that a full background check was never done by the Sheriff’s Department with the City of Banning, in circumvention of standard hiring practices.

Former Police Chief Purvis funneled 10’s of thousands of taxpayer dollars to Wayne Walker, hiring him for internal investigations at the Banning Police Department. The majority of these contracts were given on a no-bid basis.

In short, the dealings between Wayne Walker and Leonard Purvis appear to be anything but “arms-length transactions’. Rather, their relationship seems to indicate an insider culture, in which Sheriff affiliates funnel each other lucrative contracts – without oversight.

BANNING INTERIM CHIEF ALEX DIAZ ENDORSES CHAD BIANCO

Interim Chief Alex Diaz gained popularity with the public when he changed the direction of the Banning Police Department to a more citizen-friendly approach. Chief Diaz extended lobby hours to 4 days per week, rather than 3 hours per week under his predecessor (see full story).

Chief Diaz has come to the conclusion that Lt. Bianco will make the better Sheriff. He has endorsed Chad Bianco. Way to go Chief !

CONCLUSION

At this time, Stan Sniff’s campaign may be outspending Chad Bianco’s 10 to 1 – but if voters pay close attention, Bianco may have a real chance.

If you cherish the Constitution and/or resent dirty back door deals, the likes of which Sniff pulled off with Purvis, your choice will be very clear : Chad Bianco for Sheriff !

No one, I mean NO ONE on this department respects Purvis. We all know his is just a friend of Stans and we all knew about the fact that his background was not completed within guidelines. We all know that Purvis is simply a micro-managing friend of the Sheriff with absolutely ZERO leadership qualities. The Sheriff lost so much respect when he hired Purvis outside of department protocols. We’ve sat there in the audience at the academy graduations (that’s the only time Sniff talks to the department) listening to the Sheriff harp about ethics. Then he turns around and an unethically hires Purvis. Heck, Purvis was being written a “needs improvement” eval by his Lieutenant at the SW station shortly after being hired back. He was failing as a Sergeant even though he had been a chief of police at Banning!!!! – That eval was squashed by sheriffs admin. More unethical conduct surrounding Purvis. And they wonder why morale is in the toilet? Look at our ‘do as i say not as i do’ administration and there…you will the answer.

It would be beyond growth for the Sheriffs Department to rid themselves of the hypocrisy that surroumds the Administrative Staff overseeing the Sheriffs Department. When Chad Bianoc wins the election and gives notice to them, (the same as Sniff did to the previous Administration) the silent majority will no longer need to hide. We will all be there watching and waving, while saying “bye Felicia”